The Doctor in Camelot
by Rucasofcamelot
Summary: The Doctor, Amy, and Rory plan on visiting Camelot, but they don't plan on getting arrested by Uther's guard for using magic. Now they must escape quickly, because a devious plan to usurp the kingdom is unfolding, and Uther's replacement is unworldly.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: _`_I don't own any of this!_

The Doctor in Camelot

Chapter One- A Great Legend

The sound of the TARDIS's engines used to distract Amy when she was reading. In fact, it would drive her mad. Fortunately, the engines had become such a constant in her life that they didn't bother her anymore, and she was able to read _The Once and Future King_ by T.H. White in relative peace.

Amy had always loved Arthurian legend. The magic and fantasy of it all had captivated her since she was a little girl. Of course, nothing had captivated her quite as much as the Doctor crashing down from the sky in his TARDIS, but this was a close second.

The door to her bedroom crashed open.

"OY!" Amy shouted. "How many times have I told you to knock first?"

The Doctor took a few steps back, shut the bedroom door, and promptly knocked. Amy rolled her eyes. "Come in!"

The Doctor burst into the room. "Rory has his mouth full with dinner so I thought I'd come to ask requests from you. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't know… Rome?"

"Been there."

"The future?"

"Done that."

The Doctor eyed the book she was reading with interest. "King Arthur. I haven't seen him in awhile."

Amy gawked at him. "Wait! Do you mean to tell me this was real? It wasn't just a legend?"

"More or less."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The Doctor smiled. "Come on out with me. I'll show you the real Arthur Pendragon."

Amy grinned as she put her book down and followed the Doctor out into the Control Room. Her husband, Rory, was already waiting and he gave Amy a questioning look.

Amy could hardly contain her excitement. "We're going to Camelot!" She squealed.

Rory raised an eyebrow. "As in… King Arthur's Camelot?"

"The very same!" The Doctor chimed in, flipping various switches. "I met Arthur once. I wonder if he'll remember me. Probably, people don't tend to forget me." He laughed at his own joke.

Amy sighed. "Doctor, can we get a move on?"

"Yes, yes of course."

A few moments later, Amy heard the familiar sounds of the TARDIS materializing. Once the rings stopped, she bolted toward the doors, the Doctor and Rory by her side.

She opened the doors to find several armored men pointing their swords at them.

"It's okay!" The Doctor exclaimed. "I'm a friend of the king's. Just tell him the Doctor is here."

"King Uther is no friend to warlocks such as yourself," one of the guards responded without a drop of emotion.

The Doctor gave the man a blank glare, a dark realization creeping up on him. "King Uther?... Oh dear, it seems we've gone back a tad too far."

The guards lurched forward and pulled them out of the TARDIS. "You are arrested," the guard informed them, "on the charge of using magic. I warn you, magicians, if found guilty by the king, you shall be put to death!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: _`_I don't own any of this!_

The Doctor in Camelot

Chapter 2- Guests and Prisoners

"Merlin, will you hurry up?" Arthur called irritably. His father was expecting him in five minutes down in the throne room to meet with their ally, King Dorn and his very large and obnoxious daughter, Princess Lora.

Merlin stumbled out of the wardrobe on the other side of the bedroom with Arthur's best red coat. He was plenty irritable himself. He didn't see why the Prince of Prats couldn't get dressed himself. Such was the price of being a manservant. Oh well, it allowed him to keep a close eye on Arthur and keep him alive long enough to one day become king. God only knew how difficult of a task that was.

Merlin helped Arthur into his jacket. "About time. Now let's go," Arthur said.

Merlin gaped at him. "Why do I have to go?"

"Quit whining, Merlin. Lora and her father are ghastly people, but they're allies of Camelot so we have to play nice. In any case, if I have to put up with them, so do you."

Merlin pouted, but nonetheless followed his prince down into the throne room. Arthur sat down next to Uther and Morgana, while Merlin took his place in the back with Morgana's maidservant, Gwen. Merlin's eyes momentarily fell on the king's ward. He knew that she may seem nice, but she was about as trustworthy as a snake.

Moments, later, the doors opened once more and the elderly King Dorn stepped in as if he owned the place. Walking in step behind him was Princess Lora, an enormously large woman whose light brown hair was pulled back into two braids. She too was looking mighty full of herself.

Uther and his clan stood up, the two kings immediately walking forward to embrace one another. "Dorn, it is so wonderful to have you back in Camelot."

"It is great to be back, Uther," Dorn responded.

"Lovely to see you as well, Lady Lora," Uther said, gently kissing the princess's hand. Lora then proceeded to fart and giggle.

Arthur shot Merlin a disgruntled glance. Merlin knew he was recalling the troll Uther had married the year before.

"I'll have you both shown to your rooms," Uther continued. "You've had a long journey. I would be happy to see you at dinner."

"Of course, Uther! See you then," Dorn said jovially as he and his daughter were led by two servants out of the throne room.

No sooner had they left then a guard burst in. "Sire, we've captured three sorcerers. It appears they've used some sort of magical device to enter the citadel."

Merlin stiffened. Uther's strict laws against magic had always caused a great deal of stress on him. The king also lost his relaxed manner. "Bring them in," he ordered.

Several guards dragged in three people; they were two men and a woman, all seemingly in their twenties and dressed somewhat oddly. Clearly, everyone else in the room thought so too because there was a bit of chatter before the king held up his hand to silence them.

"You have been brought forth on charges of sorcery," Uther told the three newcomers. "Speak your names."

"I am the Doctor," one of the men said. "These are my friends Amy and Rory. And I assure you, Your Majesty, there was no magic involved."

Uther glanced at one of the guards, who instantly spoke up. "They just appeared in the middle of a corridor in a blue box, Sire. We have left the device there for further examination."

"Good choice," Uther said. He turned his attention back to the trio. "You shall all be put to death tomorrow morning. Lock them up."

The prisoners were dragged away. Merlin looked at Gaius, the Court Physician and the only person in Camelot who knew he could use magic. The old man had a grave look on his face. Gaius had always told Merlin to be careful he was never seen using magic… or else it would be the death of him.

The Doctor paced the cell anxiously. Amy and Rory just sat against the stone wall, their faces pale.

"Well… what now, Doctor?" Amy finally demanded.

"There's no escaping out the cell door," the Doctor murmured. "We'd be caught by the guards before we got ten feet. So we'll… we'll have to go out the back!" The Doctor snapped his fingers.

"Excuse me?" Rory said blankly.

The Doctor pointed to the barred window above Rory's head. Outside, he could see a few servants preparing the pyre which would be their place of death. The Doctor raced over to the window, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket. With Amy and Rory keeping watch for guards, the Doctor used the screwdriver to remove each of the bars. "It'll be a tight fir out this window, but we can do it," the Doctor said jovially.

"Doctor, where do we go?" Rory asked. "The guards will notice we're gone."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "There's one place we can go to for help," he finally said. "Follow me!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: _`_I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 3- Surprise Visitors

Merlin was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Arthur's chambers cleaned at last. The prince himself entered the room at that moment, tossing his jacket on Merlin's head. Merlin scowled, but kept silent. Arthur wasn't in a very good mood. He hadn't much taken a fancy to Princess Lora, but she apparently liked him quite a bit and was unafraid to show it.

"Honestly, that woman drives me mad!" Arthur whined, falling onto his bed. "Every time she sees me, she squeals in delight, then lets loose a torrent of, well… unflattering sounds out of her hindquarters."

Merlin snorted.

Arthur glared at him. "Speaking of unflattering sounds…"

"Do you need anything else, Sire?" Merlin asked, feigning a smile.

Arthur looked around the room distastefully. "No… you're free to go, Merlin. For now."

Merlin left the chambers, his intention to head back to Gaius's. As he rounded the corner, he heard Morganna speaking with the unmistakable voice of Princess Lora. He stood stock- still to listen.

"Soon, you will have your kingdom!" Lora screeched happily before farting.

"Quiet!" Morganna hissed. Merlin heard Lora's door shut and then no more.

Merlin hurried back to his place with Gaius. No one else would believe him if he said Morganna and Lora were conspiring to take down Uther. That was surely what all this meant. This wouldn't be the first time the king's ward had plotted to take over the kingdom. But what did Lora have to do with all of this?

Just as Merlin was about to enter Gaius's apartment, he heard the warning bells sounding through town. Someone had escaped from the dungeon. He briefly thought of those three oddly dressed people the guards had brought in earlier. But he couldn't worry about them now. There were more pressing things going on.

He entered the room, about to call Gaius's name, but instantly stopped in the doorway. The three odd people he had just been thinking of were standing there staring at him. Merlin just stood in the doorway in shock.

"I am the Doctor," one of the two men said, "and you are Merlin. Come in so we can  
>talk."<p>

Merlin slowly entered, closing the door behind him. "Where is Gaius?" He asked.

"Out doing… physician stuff," the man called the Doctor replied.

"You know my name."

The Doctor smiled. "Yes. That is because while this is the first time you have met me, it is not the first time I have met you, Sorcerer."

Merlin stared at him, not comprehending a bit.

"I'm from the future," the Doctor continued. "I have a machine called a TARDIS that takes me through time and space."

"Magic?" Merlin asked.

"Call it what you want. The point is my friends and I need to get back to the TARDIS and leave Camelot before the king has us all burned to death."

"Look… I would help you, but if I don't think of something quickly, there won't be a Camelot left to escape from."

"What do you mean?" The ginger girl asked.

Merlin decided he had no choice but to trust them. Who knows? Maybe they could help after all.

"The king's ward, Morganna, is plotting with the Princess Lora to take over the kingdom," Merlin explained. "Why? I don't know. She's not a remarkable woman. Farts an awful lot."

The Doctor mumbled something, his eyes lost in a thoughtful reverie.

"Something you want to share with the rest of us?" The woman asked, annoyed.

"I thought I smelled one nearby when we were being brought into the throne room. You can easily smell them when you've been around as many as I have. But I had other things on my mind at the time."

"Smelled what?" The other man asked.

The Doctor looked at his companions, then back at Merlin. "Slitheen."

"Sire?" Merlin called, entering Arthur's chambers.

Arthur turned to him, trying on a new jacket. "Thank goodness you're here, Merlin. I never thought I'd say that, but the situation is dire. The prisoners have escaped, running amuck in Camelot I imagine, and my father decided to push up the banquet for the visiting king and princess tonight. In short, I am beyond stressed!"

Merlin was interested. "Why was the banquet pushed up?"

"Father said it was Morganna's idea. She said she'd made up a cake mistakenly thinking it was tonight, and she was afraid it wouldn't be as good in a day. You know how my father is. Can't say no to the girl."

Merlin's mind was racing. Morganna had made something for the banquet and wanted it to happen as soon as possible. The banquet Princess Lora would be attending.

Morganna and the monster the Doctor had identified as a Slitheen were making their move  
>tonight.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: _`_I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 4- The Enchanted Cake

Night had fallen on Camelot. Merlin headed toward Arthur's chambers, his mind back in his room. The Doctor said he could come up with something to defeat the Slitheen, but he would have to use this weapon at the last possible moment, for fear of Uther capturing him.

Arthur was just finishing dressing when Merlin walked in. "It's about time," Arthur said. "I was beginning to worry."

"Worried you would have to dress yourself?" Merlin murmured.

"What was that, Merlin?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, I'm all ready to go," Arthur said. "Come along." He strolled past Merlin, who had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

They walked into the large dining hall. Merlin took to the back with a few of the other servants while Arthur walked to the long table, clearly having to force himself to kiss Lora's hand, who was giggling and farting in delight. Not for the first time, Merlin had to question just what about this woman was so dangerous.

Uther proceeded to publically welcome the visiting king and his daughter to Camelot, then called for everyone to enjoy the feast. Merlin spent much of the next thirty minutes refilling goblets. He was next to Morgana for a moment and she sent him a glare filled with daggers. Merlin awkwardly looked away. He knew Uther's ward was evil, but he still felt guilty for trying to poison her the year before.

At last, the feast was finished. Morgana feigned a gleaming smile at Uther. "How does a bit of desert sound?" She asked.

Uther raised his goblet. "It sounds like a lovely way to finish the night."

At that moment, Gwen came out with a cake large enough for the party. Merlin had a forboding feeling about this cake, but there was nothing he can do to stop them from eating it. The only ones not enjoying the desert were Morgana and Lora.

Moments later, the Royals were dropping their heads in a deep sleep. The few servants in the back were looking at each other in horror.

Gwen raced to Arthur, shaking him. "Arthur!" She called.

Morgana stood up. "What's happened to them?"

_Like you don't know, _Merlin thought. Where was the Doctor?

"Hehe," Lora giggled, standing up as well. She reached behind her back and Merlin heard an odd zipping noise. To his horror, Lora's skin fell away to reveal a large bug- like green monster with beetle- black eyes and razor- sharp claws. The slitheen groaned joyfully. "It feels go good to be out of that skin!"

Several servants shouted out in horror and bolted out of the room. The slitheen laughed as it moved toward the sleeping king.

"Stop!" Merlin cried.

The slitheen glanced at him. "What do you think you're going to do?"

Merlin was at a loss. He couldn't use his magic with Gwen and Morgana watching, but he couldn't just let Uther die either. Maybe it was time to reveal his magic afterall, even if it meant the one enemy that was so close to the king would know and likely hold it over his head.

"Stop!" Came another voice from just outside. The Doctor, followed by Amy and Rory, came thundering into the hall.

"I take it the really ugly thing is a slitheen," Amy murmured.

"Love, it may not be best to insult the giant green alien," Rory shot back.

Lora- or at least the slitheen that had taken refuge inside her skin- looked around, as if unsure who to kill first. The Doctor took her hesitation as a chance to slowly move forward, his hand carefully sliding into his coat.

"You have a choice," he said calmly. "Leave this planet now or I will have no other option but to destroy you."

"You? Destroy me? Please!" The slitheen lunged for Uther. Quick as can be, the Doctor pulled a bottle out of his coat and threw it at the monster. It smashed, and the smell of vinegar hit Merlin's nostrils. Seconds later, the slitheen exploded, pieces of its gore falling upon more than one reason.

Merlin looked at the Doctor, bewildered. "How...?"

"It's their weakness," the Doctor said. "Camelot is safe, Merlin." He glanced at Morgana, who was surprisingly maintaining her composure. "For now."


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: _`_I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 5- The Once and Future King

The royal diners were beginning to stir. Merlin knew that if he didn't get the Doctor and his friends out of here now, they would likely never escape.

"Go!" Gwen hissed at him. "We'll take care of them."

Morgana feigned a smile. Her plan had failed and she wanted to make sure she was on the winning side. "Gwen is right. Go."

"Er... I agree with them," Rory said.

Merlin left the hall with the newcomers following quickly behind. Arthur had mentioned where the giant blue box was. He'd also mentioned it was guarded. Merlin hoped he would be able to get past the guards. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to outsmart Uther's guards.

"Someone's sleeping on the job," Amy commented.

There were three armed guards sleeping soundly in front of the TARDIS. Merlin was confused for a moment, but then he realized what must have happened. Morgana had been planning to take over Camelot. She would have wanted to make sure anyone who could stop her would be out of the way. For once, the witch's evil plans were working in Merlin's favor.

"You should go before anyone wakes up," Merlin said.

"Yes, thank you for your help," the Doctor replied. "You are going to help a lot of people, Merlin. Arthur most of all."

Merlin stared at him. "You're not the first person to say that. Why is it so important that I help Arthur, Doctor?"

"He is the Once and Future King," the Doctor said with a sly smile. "As far as what that means, you'll find out."

Merlin knew he wasn't going to get any more information out of them, so he merely waved goodbye as the Doctor, Amy, and Rory walked into the TARDIS. A few moments later, it vanished.

...

Amy picked up White's novel, staring at the cover. "They really got the whole Arthurian legend thing wrong, didn't they?"

"Close enough," the Doctor said, jumping in a chair. "Don't take it personally. Humans mess up on quite a bit of things."

"Oh, cheers!" Rory said.

The Doctor jumped back up, working the controls. They were on their way to the next destination. Where that was, Amy didn't know. But that was life with the Doctor after all.


End file.
